Oh, Dr Oliver!

Richard Wyatt

Ann Cullis happened to be walking past The Oliver pub in Broad Street today. It was named after Dr William Oliver, who in the 18th century invented the Oliver biscuit.

She writes: Hi Richard, here in Broad Street, a man working on removing the previous pub signage has revealed an even earlier one – Fortts Cafe!”

A place – if l have got this right – where Oliver biscuits were sold?

I am sure some of our Bath historians can tell us more.

Published by Richard Wyatt

Freelance Journalist, broadcaster, columnist and local historian. Director of Bath Newseum. Married and lives in Bath. Interested in local history, architecture and visual display in museums and urban spaces.

4 Comments

  1. I’m not sure if ‘Cater Stoffell & Fortt’ and ‘Fortts’ were the same enterprise, but the latter had a high class grocery business and restaurant near the bottom of Milsom St (W side) into the 1970s. There was also Fortt’s Assembly Rooms above the restaurant and I can recall going to a dinner dance there sometime in the 70s.

  2. James Fortt moved there in 1908 and made the biscuits there. The full story is in Bath Pubs, under the name St Christopher Inn, which is what it had just becoem when we wrote the book.

  4. So what were Fortt Hatt and Billings?
    I’ve lived here since 1962 and the names must have been a business if some sort in those days.

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